LAHORE: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif did not appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) here on Friday citing health reasons.

The top anti-graft watchdog had summoned Mr Sharif in a money laundering case. He had been asked to bring along details of properties he inherited.

In a written reply to the head of the NAB Lahore Combined Investigation Team submitted in response to its call-up notice, the PML-N president said: “I am 69 years old, known cancer survivor due to which I have low immunity, in this particular background, medical professionals have strictly advised [me] restricted movement and limited exposure due to life-threatening risks on account of (Covid-19) pandemic.”

He said that due to the lockdown, the staff, requisite data and record as sought by the NAB was also inaccessible and requested the agency to extend time for submission of a reply and exempt him from personal appearance “till lifting of lockdown and further medical advice”.

Questioning the logic behind summoning him, he said that he had been interrogated at length about his entire career, including assets, when he was in the NAB custody on physical remand and had furnished whatever information was sought and available.

He maintained that he had replied to all the earlier call-up notices within time and extended full cooperation, including personal appearances. But, “it is unfortunate that the above said call-up notice describes the said replies as unsatisfactory, incomplete and evasive”.

Sharif argued that all his assets were a matter of record as he had been declaring them before the authorities concerned in due course.

The NAB, questioning the whooping increase in assets of Mr Sharif’s family between 1988 and 2018, had asked him to explain the increase. He was also asked to submit bank details along with the loan taken from Barclays during 2005-07 and provide details of the gifts given or received by the family as well as their agriculture income between 2008 and 2019.

The PML-N leader, who served as the Punjab chief minister for 10 consecutive years till 2018, was also required to give details of using his Model Town residence as the CM’s camp office and thus maintaining the house at taxpayers’ money.

The accountability agency had in December 2019 frozen 23 properties of Mr Sharif acquired in the names of his wives, Nusrat Shahbaz and Tehmina Durrani, and the assets were beyond their known sources of income. These properties included two residences each in Defence and Model Town, nine plots in Johar Town and four in Judicial Colony of Lahore.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2020